NRT briefing
Alaska Urges Dismissal of Trump-Directed Suit to Halt Senate Certification
Based on reporting by PBS NewsHour.
The Brief
Alaska's Republican-led state government on Saturday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Donald Trump's direction that seeks to stop certification of a possible Democratic win in the state's U.S. Senate race, calling it "meritless." The state filing argued that the Justice Department's request to separate ballots cast for a second candidate named Dan Sullivan is "disturbing and impossible" and would violate voter privacy.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason has set a Saturday deadline for arguments on dismissal. The lawsuit, which has drawn criticism from election law experts, was filed after reports that Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign may have been involved in recruiting the other Sullivan onto the ballot.
Alaska officials noted the ballot distinguishes the senator as the Republican incumbent and the other as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." Peltola has denied involvement, and the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled the second candidate legally qualified. The DOJ has also opened a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas in the case.
This news briefing was prepared and checked with AI, then published automatically. No human review is recorded for this version. Read about our checks or report a correction.